A Bite of Douluo Continent

Looking at her daughter's adorable appearance, Xu Changling couldn't help but chuckle, and her depressed mood seemed to ease up a lot at this moment.

Chapter 182 The First Prince Isn't a Fool

Soon, Xu Changling and his family finished their meal and were about to leave.

Xu Changling stood up, and a diner at a table not far away stood up at almost the same time and walked towards the passageway from the second floor to the first floor. When passing by Xu Changling, he bumped into Xu Changling, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

A hint of nervousness appeared on his face. "Your Excellency, I accidentally bumped into you. I'm so sorry."

A strange light flashed in Xu Changling's eyes, and a humble smile appeared on his face. "It's okay. Next time, walk a little slower."

After he finished speaking, he patted the diner on the shoulder.

Xu Changling emphasized the word "slow" but not too deliberately, so it didn't seem unusual to others. Only the diner was startled, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

Xu Changling walked past the diner, took his wife and daughter and headed towards the stairs on the first floor. The diner respectfully stepped aside and waited until the Prime Minister's family left before slowly descending the stairs.

Xu Changling walked downstairs, glanced at Dai Tonghua who was slowly eating a table full of delicious food, and smiled slightly. "Your Highness, I shall take my leave now."

Dai Tonghua nodded and stood up. "Please take care, Your Excellency Prime Minister."

The royal family places great importance on etiquette. He was simply caught off guard by Xu Changling at the entrance and forgot about it for a moment.

Xu Changling nodded, said nothing more, and left Hanshi with his wife and daughter.

After Xu Changling left, Dai Tonghua ate a few more bites of Dongpo pork knuckle, a hint of regret on her face.

The food in this restaurant is delicious, even better than what the imperial chefs cook. It's a pity that my father warned me not to offend them easily, otherwise I would definitely force the chefs of this restaurant to go to the palace to cook for me every day.

There were still many dishes left on the table. He had eaten all of the two dishes that cost a thousand gold soul coins, but he only had time to taste a few bites of each of the other dishes. But his stomach was already feeling a bit bloated.

His martial soul is the White Tiger, the inherited martial soul of the Star Luo Empire. It is a top-tier offensive martial soul. In terms of appetite, he is not small, but he simply does not have the ability to finish all the dishes at the Cold Food Festival.

That's it.

Pointing to the leftovers on the table, Dai Tonghua glanced at the two servants behind her and said, "You got off easy."

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness!" the two servants said in unison, then sat down and began to eat heartily.

They stood aside, smelling the various aromas wafting from the cold food dining area, watching the First Prince eat and drink heartily. They were already starving, but they had to use their soul power to control their stomachs so as not to make a sound, lest they spoil the First Prince's enjoyment of the meal.

Being a servant is quite tough.

"You two, come back to the palace after you finish eating." After saying this, Dai Tonghua turned and walked out of the Cold Food Festival.

He certainly couldn't wait for his two servants.

When Dai Tonghua reached the entrance of Hanshi Temple, she suddenly stopped.

Have I... forgotten something?

What are we here for during the Cold Food Festival?

Oh, I remember now. It seems to be an imperial edict from my father, instructing me to investigate the situation regarding the Cold Food Festival and not to offend him lightly.

Dai Tonghua looked around at the diners at the Cold Food Festival and shook her head.

Aside from the food being more delicious than I had imagined, this restaurant didn't seem to have anything particularly unusual. I'll just tell my father that when I get back.

Well... let's do it again next time.

We haven't had enough of the dishes we wanted to eat today.

...

Qin Yue breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed Dai Tonghua leaving out of the corner of her eye.

The sight of the prince with heterochromatic eyes sitting in the small shop was putting immense pressure on her.

It should be noted that even during the most famous period of Yueyaolou, there was never a member of the royal family dining in the restaurant.

After all, the royal family of the Star Luo Empire is extremely noble, and the various delicacies are basically cooked by the imperial chefs in the palace. No matter how skilled the chefs outside are, they can hardly compare with them.

It is said that this eldest prince has a rather bad temper.

However, when Qin Yue told the other party that they shouldn't waste the money, the eldest prince didn't seem to get angry, which was somewhat unexpected.

Could it be that the rumors are different from the actual situation?

Qin Yue was naturally unaware that all of this was related to the Tang Clan leader who had appeared in the shop at noon, while Qi Han in the kitchen had never paid any attention to the so-called eldest prince of the Star Luo Empire.

Well... it's not that I don't care at all.

When Qin Yue informed him that the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire had arrived, Qi Han still looked up at him with great interest.

As for why...

He was mainly curious because he had never seen anyone with different colored eyes before!

Unlike the cosplayers in my previous life who wore colored contact lenses, this one is real!

After Dai Tonghua and Xu Changling left, the unremarkable business of the night quickly came to an end.

The titled Douluo who arrived at noon did not come in the evening, but considering that almost every one of them ate a dish of fish belly stuffed with mutton, the current situation is easy to understand.

If nothing unexpected happens, those people won't be able to come tomorrow at noon either.

The introduction of Sanbuzhan (a type of dessert) has been praised by many diners. After being introduced by the Qin sisters, Qi Han learned that there is a special dessert in Xingluo City called Tian Songgao (sweet rice cake). It is sweet and soft and is one of the most beloved desserts among the residents of Xingluo City. It is probably similar to the handmade cakes on Blue Star in his previous life.

The texture of Sanbuzhan (a type of rice cake) is far superior to that of sweet rice cake, making it easily accepted by the public.

After watching the Qin sisters leave, Qi Han closed the door of Hanshi Restaurant and carried Gulu up to the third floor.

I learned how to make boiled cabbage in clear broth and "three-no-stick" dishes today. I'm really tired, so I'd better get some rest.

The Qing Dynasty Imperial Blessing Meat will be available again tomorrow morning in the training space.

...

In the dead of night, outside Prime Minister Xu Changling's residence, a figure hidden in the shadows slowly emerged. "Change?"

Another figure, dressed in night clothes, nodded and slipped into the shadows where the former was lurking.

The person in front stopped speaking, simply nodded, and then quickly flew towards the palace, disappearing from the area in a few leaps.

He had to go back and report the situation of the surveillance to His Majesty the Emperor.

Xu Changling's guess was indeed correct; Zhao Qu had already planted countless spies near his home to secretly keep watch.

The agility-based scout quickly disappeared from the palace and reappeared in a quiet room within the palace.

"Did he make any unusual moves while you were keeping watch today?" Dai Yuansheng sat in the quiet room, with Zhao Qu standing beside him.

"Your Majesty, Vice Prime Minister, Prime Minister Xu was under my surveillance all day, and I did not detect any unusual activity. However..." the spy paused, "Prime Minister Xu took his wife and daughter to a restaurant called Hanshi tonight. His Highness the First Prince was also there. I did not dare to disturb His Highness the First Prince, and with so many people around, I did not use my soul skills to keep watch during the meal."

“This…” Dai Yuansheng and Zhao Qu exchanged a glance.

It's Cold Food Festival again?

"Was Xu Changling's visit to Hanshi Festival just a regular meal, or was it intentional?" Zhao Qu hurriedly asked.

"This..." The scout thought for a moment and then quickly said, "I overheard that Prime Minister Xu told his daughter at home that he had been busy with government affairs lately and wanted to have a meal with his wife and daughter, so he went to Hanshi Festival."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qu's expression softened somewhat.

Is it just about having a meal with family?

That makes perfect sense, since Hanshi is currently the best restaurant in Xingluo City, and if Zhao Qu were to have a family gathering, Hanshi would probably be the first place he would think of.

"Then, between His Highness the First Prince and Xu Changling, who went in first and who came out first?" Zhao Qu then asked.

“The two of them go in at the same time, and the eldest prince comes out later,” the scout said without hesitation.

Hearing this, Zhao Qu felt completely relieved.

The Crown Prince and Xu Changling were in the shop together the entire time, and Xu Changling was not given a chance to be alone.

Although His Highness the Crown Prince was unaware of his conspiracy with the Emperor, Xu Changling could not possibly be so audacious as to pass on messages right under the Crown Prince's nose.

After all, the eldest prince is not a complete fool. Although he has a somewhat impatient temper, he is mostly brave and resourceful.

Chapter 183 Imperial Palace's "Ten Thousand Blessings Meat"

"Host, host, wake up!"

Early the next morning, Qi Han was woken up by the little girl's alarm clock. He rubbed his eyes to wake up, and after a quick wash, he greeted Gulu, who had been awakened by the noise of him getting up, and went straight into the training space of Qing Palace Wanfu Meat.

The Qing Palace Wanfu Meat originated from a Shandong-born imperial chef named Zhao Guibao in the Qing Dynasty (according to historical records, the Qing Palace Wanfu Meat originated from a Shandong-born chef surnamed Zhao in the Qing Palace Imperial Kitchen; the name Zhao Guibao is purely fictional and should not be taken as fact).

This imperial chef showcased his skills at Empress Dowager Cixi's 60th birthday celebration, presenting a dish that amazed everyone. Through five cooking methods—steaming, boiling, frying, stewing, and braising—he transformed a simple piece of pork belly into a dish that was juicy, tender, and flavorful without being greasy.

Because it doesn't cause weight gain even when eaten regularly, this dish was a favorite of Empress Dowager Cixi and the concubines in the palace, and was given the name "Wanfu Meat" (meaning "Ten Thousand Blessings Meat").

As the remnant soul of the tall, thin old man appeared in the training space in an almost solidified form, the cooking of the Qing Dynasty's Wanfu Meat began.

Unlike Huang Jinglin's fiery temper, this senior chef from Shandong always had an encouraging smile on his face and explained things in great detail during the cooking process.

The main ingredient used in Qing Palace Wanfu Pork is a piece of pork belly. Of course, there are specific requirements for this piece of pork belly, as not all pork belly can be used to cook Qing Palace Wanfu Pork.

Pork belly is divided into upper pork belly and lower pork belly. Upper pork belly refers to the part of the pork belly near the ribs. This part of the pork belly has thicker fat, and the fat and lean meat are basically separated. This kind of meat is generally used in dumplings or twice-cooked pork to create a better taste.

The lower five-flower cut comes from the pig's abdomen. It has more layers of fat and lean meat. Generally, you can see four or five layers of fat and lean meat overlapping each other along the cut surface. This kind of meat is rich but not greasy, and it is more suitable for cooking the Qing Dynasty Imperial Braised Pork.

Meat with alternating layers of fat and lean meat prevents it from becoming mushy after cooking and makes it easier to shape into flower shapes, making it the first choice in terms of both taste and appearance.

Not only is the lower part of the pork belly fatty yet not greasy, but it also makes up a small proportion of the pork belly on a pig. Because of its scarcity, it is considered a premium cut of pork belly in many places, distinguishing it from regular pork belly with a clear distinction between fat and lean meat.

The fact that a piece of pork belly can be selected by the system and sold for 1,200 gold soul coins means that it is no ordinary ingredient.

The pork belly used in the Qing Palace Wanfu Meat did not come from the badger pig or the Guixiang pig, which were old friends of Qi Han.

Badger & Fragrant Pig: Who the hell is your old friend!

The ingredients it uses come from the rare, thousand-year-old pig breed.

Rare pigs are a breed of pig unique to a small system world, or rather, the most advanced breed of pigs obtained through countless generations of crossbreeding and breeding.

From birth, these pigs undergo systematic and specialized breeding, raised with various rare and precious materials imbued with the essence of heaven and earth. Their unique racial talent allows them to absorb all of this essence and store it in their bodies. Therefore, the meat of these rare pigs is indeed a rare and precious material filled with the abundant essence of heaven and earth.

As Zhao Guibao's remnant soul cut a strip of pork belly about ten centimeters wide from a large piece of pork belly, removing the offal and revealing the dense layers of fat and lean meat on the pork belly, Qi Han couldn't help but widen his eyes.